Good morning and Happy NFL New Year, football fans! The legal negotiating window has been busier than usual this year and it will only get crazier today as deals and trades become official at 3 p.m. CT. Keep this page open as it will automatically refresh as news becomes available.

Let’s start with some big cornerback news this morning as the Bears have been heavily involved with Bills free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Texans free agent cornerback A.J. Bouye. Unfortunately, it looks like they lost Gilmore to the Patriots and are trailing on Bouye.

The #Bears were the presumed landing spot for Stephon Gilmore. Sounds like that’s not happening.

Let’s not completely close the door on Bouye yet as it’s possible the Bears will show greater interest after losing Gilmore, but it will certainly be a loss if they don’t end up with either player. If the Bears are going to overspend at all in free agency this year, the secondary is the area where they can justify it.

It’s been quiet on the Alshon Jeffery front, which I think is positive for the Bears. The WR market so far does not indicate that Jeffery will receive a crazy amount of money and I know there’s a mutual desire for No. 17 to stay in Chicago.

It will be interesting to see if anything happens with Jay Cutler today. QB options around the league are disappearing quickly. It’s probably best for the Bears if Tony Romo goes to Denver. That would leave Cutler as the best option for both the Texans and Jets, increasing the likelihood of a trade.

Demps had six interceptions in 13 games with the Texans last season, but he’s a bit of a journeyman who turns 32 in June. He has definitely come on stronger later in his career, as he didn’t even start a game until his sixth year in the league. After landing with the Texans in 2015, Demps became a full-time starter on a very good defense.

Demps contributed in the return game early in his career, but really hasn’t done that regularly since 2013 when he was in Kansas City.

On the cornerback front, I’m told the Bears are expected to keep Kyle Fuller for now. He’s healthy, motivated and in a contract year. The hope is that provides more value than a late-round draft pick, which may not have even been on the table.

The Bears have reportedly added wide receiver Markus Wheaton to help replace Alshon Jeffery. Wheaton was actually a pretty decent option for the Steelers in 2014 and 2015 before suffering a shoulder injury in 2016.

Source: The #Bears are signing WR Markus Wheaton, formerly of the #Steelers